1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical box and, more particularly, to an electrical box that is mounted within a prefabricated panel of an office wall partition system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Free-standing, prefabricated office partition systems are increasingly used within the contemporary office. These free-standing office partitioning systems are composed of separate or modular wall panels that are selectively arranged and connected together to define individual office areas, also known as cubicles. The individual wall panels typically include a frame and two planar wall members that attach to and cover the frame. Thus, a hollow space or interior is defined between the two planar wall members. Typical wall panels may further include provisions for the routing of data and/or electrical cables within the hollow interior of a single wall panel, or within a frame member of a wall panel. Further, provisions are also made for the routing of such cables from the interior or frame member of one wall panel to the interior or frame member of another wall panel.
An electrical receptacle can be connected to the electrical cables carried within the individual wall panels. Such an electrical receptacle may be hard-wired to the electrical cables carried by the wall panel. The completion of such a hard-wired connection of the electrical receptacle to the electrical cables carried by the wall panel requires a certain degree of training and skill. Furthermore, such a hard-wired installation of an electrical receptacle is time-consuming and labor intensive, even for those with the requisite training and skill.
The body of such an electrical receptacle is typically disposed adjacent to or mounted on the office wall panel within a cubicle. The power cord for each light and/or piece of office equipment within the cubicle must be routed to a receptacle in order to be plugged into the electrical receptacle. Thus, an employee must individually power on and off each light and each piece of equipment within his or her cubicle using the power switch, if any, provided on the various lights and pieces of equipment. In the contemporary office or cubicle, this could easily involve powering on and/or off more than five pieces of office equipment and numerous task lights. The need to individually power on and off each individual piece of office equipment and each light consumes a certain amount of time, and thus decreases the productivity of each employee. Further, additional time is consumed and productivity decreased when, for example, an employee discovers that a needed piece of equipment is not or has not been powered on and, after turning it on, he or she has to wait for that piece of equipment to warm up or run a diagnostic check before that piece of equipment can be used to perform the intended task.
Yet another source of lost productivity and cost is attributable to the need to individually power on and off each cubicle light and individual piece of office equipment due to the increased likelihood that an employee will overlook, forget, or simply choose not to power off at least one piece of equipment. Thus, an increase in electricity usage and cost may be incurred when, for example, a cubicle light or a piece of equipment is left on during non-business hours., over a weekend, an extended holiday or vacation.
The power cables for the multiple task lights and pieces of office equipment found in a contemporary cubicle typically lie along the cubicle floor or on top of the cubicle work surfaces. These power cables, along with the multiple data and computer network cables create an unsighltly entanglement of wires. Furthermore, such an entanglement of wires makes it difficult for installation and repair personnel to trace an individual wire from its source to its destination.
What is needed in the art is an electrical assembly that includes a plurality of electrical receptacles and mounts within the wall panel of a prefabricated office/cubicle partition system, and further includes a user-accessible switch that controls the powering on and off of the plurality of electrical receptacles. Moreover, what is needed in the art is an electrical assembly that easily connects to existing power distribution networks within such prefabricated office partition systems, and thereby avoids the need for the hard-wired connection of electrical receptacles.
The present invention provides a modular electrical assembly that mounts within an individual wall partition/panel of an office partitioning system and contains a plurality of simplex outlets. The modular electrical assembly connects with a power distribution system within the wall partition/panel system. The modular electrical assembly includes a user-accessible switch that activates and deactivates the electrical receptacles within the assembly. The switch is the only portion of the modular electrical assembly that extends from the office wall panel after installation of the assembly.
An advantage of the present invention is that the wiring of lights and other office equipment can be routed entirely within an office wall panel, thereby avoiding a confusing mass of wires on the floor of a cubicle.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the modular electrical assembly plugs directly into an existing electrical power distribution network within the office partition system, thereby avoiding the need for separately mounting and hard-wiring multiple electrical receptacles.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the modular electrical assembly includes a switch that activates and deactivates the electrical receptacles, thereby allowing the powering on or oft of every piece of office equipment supplied with power from the receptacles of the modular electrical assembly.